USING BLOGS TO INCREASE INTERNAL COMMUNICATION

The concept of internal blogging poses a number of challenges to companies that are willing to embrace it. You can use blogs in a number of fantastic ways, some of which were discussed. We looked at the example of the Disney Channel, which uses internal blogs in an innovative way to save money, make people’s jobs easier, and make information easier to access. In this article we go deeper into the uses of internal blogs and provide a brief overview of how to get blogging kick-started at your company. We look at the benefits of blogging and at how to develop an internal blogging strategy.

HOW INTERNAL BLOGGING STARTS

Blogging will begin internally at your company either by executive decision or by grassroots support. Both ways pose unique challenges. As with any new idea, decreeing the use of blogs from on high can create a challenging scenario. The tried-and-true method is to show your employees the benefits of the new tool while getting buy-in and ownership at both the middle-management and grassroots levels. Getting buy-in early from key figures at these levels of the company means that blogging isn’t being pushed on people, but is being made available by company leaders as well as being championed by the grassroots and encouraged by managers. Employees typically won’t begin blogging simply because you tell them to. That said, smart employees who recognize the value and time-savings that blogging can provide, when properly used, will often take up the idea quickly. When you are deciding to encourage blogging, it’s important to note that not every employee will opt to use the blog.

Many employees are already busy with other work, may not trust management’s intentions, or may not be aware of blogging’s value or blogging at all. While each of these problems has a solution, often the easiest way to combat these feelings is not to combat them at all let employees make a choice. The best bloggers, whether internal or external, are those who make the choice to start blogging because they see the benefits of doing so, not because you tell them it’s in their best interest. The second way blogging can start is more common: employees want to start blogging. The idea comes as a grassroots level request, with employees seeing the benefit for their team or for the company as a whole and asking to start a blog. Some teams will simply start using blogs on their own because they see the benefits, and nothing stops them from using blogs.

Others will request a new server or space on existing servers to create blogs. Regardless of how blogging starts, you should encourage employees to use blogs internally (assuming that it fits with your blogging strategy). Suggest new and innovative uses for blogging, such as using blogs for document sharing or for brainstorming new ideas. Implement official blogs. A grassroots movement means you can honestly say that you are supporting your employees’ new ideas and that you are allowing them to take ownership of this exciting new tool. If you need a blogging policy, let employees draft it. If you are aware of external employee blogs, encourage them to blog about things they care about internally as well. No matter how you plan to start, you eventually need to create a plan and a strategy for your internal blogs with external blogs, the audience is the world; the audience for internal blogs is your company, which means that the people you are able to please are your staff members, executives, and managers. Although there isn’t really such a thing as a “popular” internal blogger, typically a CEO blog will be more often read than an engineer’s blog (except, of course, by other engineers).

A properly implemented blogging strategy will increase communication both from the company to staff members and among like-minded individuals; reduce e-mail by allowing chronological public discussion to occur; generate new ideas; make your company more fluid and dynamic; and empower your staff. The end result of a properly implemented blogging strategy is happier, more motivated, and ultimately more efficient employees, which is never a bad thing.